Helo career info

[Griz882]

I'm getting out of the Army at 9 years and 1,700 purely rotary hours and the only companies interested in my resume are flying jets!

There are helicopter jobs but they require a willingness to do a ridiculous commute, work a crazy schedule or live in the middle of nowhere. My application is in with the airlines.

Good luck. You might do better flying for Uncle Sam with USCBP. There is a conversation about working for them in another section here in AW. GS-11 to GS-13 in three years will likely beat any regional pay scheme.

 

[samb]

We're moving home to be close to family. It really limits my options but the bright side is that my wife has a career so we're not as financially tied down as some folks. I've heard the CBP pitch and it just doesn't fit with my priorities. I'll walk away from flying professionally and use GI Bill to learn something else if I have to. Additionally, I have a pot of money to use for my fixed wing ratings so I won't be tied down by an RTP if I don't have to be. It's really not a bad position to be in.

 

[Griz882]

We're moving home to be close to family. It really limits my options but the bright side is that my wife has a career so we're not as financially tied down as some folks. I've heard the CBP pitch and it just doesn't fit with my priorities. I'll walk away from flying professionally and use GI Bill to learn something else if I have to. Additionally, I have a pot of money to use for my fixed wing ratings so I won't be tied down by an RTP if I don't have to be. It's really not a bad position to be in.

Well said. You know what is best for you and your family.

 

[Jryan]

Basically, be it USN or USMC, your fleet flight time is based off of readiness. Something I've noticed over the years is that, for a given timeframe, each community (VP, Helo, VQ, etc) tend to have the same number of hours/pilot after finishing a sea tour (or more accurately, a specific window of time, since USMC tours are a little longer). There are caveats, like Hornets, but let's ignore that for now, since your question is specific to helos.

Yes, there will be some that have more hours than others, for various reasons, but generally people come out about the same. Big-wing guys may have a little more nowadays, but they're still tied to readiness.

The Marines here can fill in what they're getting nowadays, but for the Navy side, expect around 800-900 TT and ~700 in model. If you go to the FRS, expect another 500-700 hours in model, depending on what's going on and how forward leaning you are. If you go to the HTs, and the birds aren't broken, 1K is attainable, but it will depend on how healthy the airframes stay.

These numbers are swags, based on what I'm seeing now. When I was a JO, the numbers were higher, but we live in a different environment now. Given where you are in your "career," these should be close enough, at least on the Navy side.

I'm also looking for more information about USN helicopter flying. I found this thread through the search function. Just to clarify, are you saying rotor guys usually log between 1500-1700 hours total during a 10 year period of service? Thanks for your help, I recently took the ASTB with a competitive score and am trying to make an informed decision of whether I want to join or not.

 

[IKE]

I'm also looking for more information about USN helicopter flying. I found this thread through the search function. Just to clarify, are you saying rotor guys usually log between 1500-1700 hours total during a 10 year period of service? Thanks for your help, I recently took the ASTB with a competitive score and am trying to make an informed decision of whether I want to join or not.

I've been an officer for about 13 years, and I am almost at 2,000 hours (I'm on the low end, because I spent ~2.5 years not flying and went the test pilot route). If you get the right platform, take the right tours (HTs or SWTI), and serve outside of crazy government shutdowns, you could exceed 2,500 in 12 years. Top end would be my prior Skipper who wrapped up his CO tour (~18 years) with > 4,000 hours (he only didn't fly for 2 years).

As always, YMMV.

 

[ChuckMK23]

Wow a far cry from my era where it was common after a shore production tour (year 8-9) to have 3,000 hours ....

 

[Gatordev]

Wow a far cry from my era where it was common after a shore production tour (year 8-9) to have 3,000 hours ....

And the fleet airframes paid for it.

Total times went down from the early '90's to the mid-2000's due to FLM. They then went down again after 10 years of war and budget issues. My DHs had 1500 hour first tours, I had a 1K first tour (again, largely due to FLM), and now guys are getting, as previously discussed, 750-1K, depending on cycles.

 

[Jim123]

I think it bottomed out around 2010(±). In 2011-2012 I saw a lot of guys write 800-900 total time on their paperwork for their initial quals to be HT instructors. (Flight school plus FRS is about 250 hours.)

 

[Pags]

I think it bottomed out around 2010(±). In 2011-2012 I saw a lot of guys write 800-900 total time on their paperwork for their initial quals to be HT instructors. (Flight school plus FRS is about 250 hours.)

Sounds about right. I was on track to get 1000 in model from 06-09 but then there was some sort of budget shennanigans and everyone's hours got cut. After that the fleet got more serious about tracking recent flight time, I think the sked had to have hrs in the past 30days annotated on it for each pilot and there were requirements if that number was below 15. All my HACs had 1000+ in model and their HACs had well over 1000 in model.

 

[Gatordev]

I should have been more precise. My times in my examples for the first tour guys were meant to be in model. Obviously I'm generalizing, but you get the idea. I was one of the last to leave my squadron with 1K in model and that was 2005. There were a couple of more after that, but by that time, FLM had definitely kicked in and T&R was much more a thing.

I agree, though, Jim...2010 on wasn't a great time.

 

[Pags]

I should have been more precise. My times in my examples for the first tour guys were meant to be in model. Obviously I'm generalizing, but you get the idea. I was one of the last to leave my squadron with 1K in model and that was 2005. There were a couple of more after that, but by that time, FLM had definitely kicked in and T&R was much more a thing.

I agree, though, Jim...2010 on wasn't a great time.

FLM was a 60B only thing. Not a concern in HSC, instead we had cracked airframes that reduced aircraft availability.

You want to fly a lot? Get all the quals. A guy with NI, FCP, and LVLIII/IV letters is a contributing member of society and will fly more than just a vanilla HAC who's basically just a readiness hole.

 

[Griz882]

Wow a far cry from my era where it was common after a shore production tour (year 8-9) to have 3,000 hours ....

Interesting point @ChuckMK23. Do any of you think another factor might be the formation of the fleet today? Back in my time guys like you, flying the -46, were seen flying off of AO, AE, AK, and AFS types and are now limited (recognizing the -46 is no more) to AOE and T-AKE types, often with contract pilots. Just wondering?

 

[Pags]

Interesting point @ChuckMK23. Do any of you think another factor might be the formation of the fleet today? Back in my time guys like you, flying the -46, were seen flying off of AO, AE, AK, and AFS types and are now limited (recognizing the -46 is no more) to AOE and T-AKE types, often with contract pilots. Just wondering?

flight hours are lower all over. people don't fly as much on cruise and they don't fly as much at home.

 

[Gatordev]

FLM was a 60B only thing. Not a concern in HSC, instead we had cracked airframes that reduced aircraft availability.

I believe HS had some sort of FLM concern, as well. Keep in mind, in 2005 HSC was in its infancy, so it wasn't the bulk of the helo community quite yet.

 

[Pags]

I believe HS had some sort of FLM concern, as well. Keep in mind, in 2005 HSC was in its infancy, so it wasn't the bulk of the helo community quite yet.

Yeah, I meant my timeframe in 06-09. I never remember my HS buds talking about an FLM concern but the 60B guys wouldn't shut up about it. The 60F/H airframes were no were near as old as the 60Bs so if there was a FLM program I doubt it was as closely managed especially with squadrons transitioning to the 60S.